DUNEDIN — Chris Colabello has invested too much of his time, too much of his energy, entirely too much of himself to ever take anything for granted in the game of baseball.

Colabello spent seven years in independent baseball and another year in the minors before he got his first cup of coffee in the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 2013, just short of his 30th birthday. He got another brief stay with the Twins in 2014 before coming to camp with the Blue Jays last year. An early cut, he went to Buffalo and had a killer month of April, earning a callup that never ended.

“He was one of our best hitters all year long,” said manager John Gibbons.

In 360 plate appearances, Colabello hit .321 with an OPS of .886. He had 35 extra-base hits, including 15 homers, driving in 54 runs. That performance has pretty much sealed up a spot on the Jays roster before one spring-time pitch has been thrown.

“Nothing has really changed with how I view the game,” said Colabello. “I thought a lot about what it would be like coming into this year. I talked to guys who’ve accomplished a lot in the game, veteran players. I’d always end up saying that I don’t know how to handle it any differently than I always have. Those veterans were like: ‘That’s good. The minute you lose that edge, that’s the minute the game will move past you.’ For me, every day this off-season has been about getting better.

“I also got to do a lot of cool stuff, visiting parts of Canada and seeing the kind of outreach the team has.”

Hard work and persistence got him to the big leagues and that’s how he’s going to make a bid to stay here.

“I’m here with a purpose, same as I have been every year of my career: Looking forward to being a batter ball player.”

The Jays’ plan for him is to be part of a platoon with Justin Smoak at first base, facing mostly left-handers. Last season, he was asked to play some outfield, with some shaky defensive results. To that end, he is going to spend some time working on his outfield play this spring, even though the Jays don’t expect to use him there unless it’s an emergency.

“I’m the kind of guy who likes to be good at everything I do,” he said. “That’s a driving force for me, to be able to help in whatever way I can. That means, if I’m going to try to figure out how to play left field, I’m going to be the best left fielder I can be.

“First base, left field, right field, whatever, I’m going to try to be the best I can be.”

ALFORD SACKS HIS FOOTBALL CAREER

Anthony Alford may have given up football but not the football mentality.

In the fall of 2014, Alford made his decision between football and baseball, turning his back on Ole Miss, where he was a quarterback, deciding instead to devote all his athletic attention to baseball.

The Blue Jays’ third-round draft pick in 2012 had dabbled in baseball during his first two years but, in 2015, he attacked the game and the challenge of learning how to play centre field with a football intensity. He destroyed two levels of pitching, dividing his time between low-A Lansing and high-A Dunedin almost equally. At Lansing, he played 50 games and had an .812 OPS. In 57 games at Dunedin, he outdid himself with an .825 OPS. Combined, he had 36 extra-base hits, including four homers, in 107 games, stole 27 bases and showed a surprising plate discipline with 67 walks.

At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he is powerfully built and will undoubtedly mature into a big-time masher.

“I saw him in spring training last year,” said manager John Gibbons. “Our guys say he’s made more strides in one season than anybody they’ve ever seen.

“He’s got a ton of talent and once they started throwing him out there every day, it started happening. He was feeling his way around here last spring. Baseball is a tough game to play but he’s started moving in the right direction. He’s viewed as our top prospect and I can see why.”

Alford may start the season at either Dunedin or double-A New Hampshire. Those decisions have not yet been made. It is not a ridiculous thought that he could be back at spring training in 2017 competing for a roster spot.

Alford credits the decision to leave football behind as a key to his spike in baseball success.

“I’m more relaxed because I just have to focus on one thing as opposed to focusing on football and baseball at the same time,” he said. “I get to really just work on my craft and strengthen the things that are seen as my weaknesses. It’s a lot easier when you’re just playing one sport.”

He was at spring training with the Jays last year and is back this year as part of his grooming process.

“Everything I’m learning is not so much physical or mechanical,” he said. “It’s mostly mental. It’s important to pick the older guys’ brains and find out how they prepare for workouts. Every small thing that you can pick up can make a difference.

“If I’m ever blessed to be called up, it won’t be brand new to me. I will be able to hit the ground running, having at least a basic idea of how things work.”

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